Infinitenight's Kits
Main Cats Infinitenight ~ a black she-cat with fiery amber eyes Colorkit ~ a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with sharp green eyes Silentkit ~ a petite, frail, pale gray she-cat with sightless, clouded blue eyes Novakit ~ a pale ginger tabby with amber eyes, a torn ear, and a missing tail tip Aurorakit ~ a golden-and-white she-cat with bright yellow eyes Shadekit ~ a black she-cat with dull yellow eyes Dreamkit ~ a pinkish-orange she-cat with green eyes; Rosekit’s twin Polarkit ~ a white she-cat with lavender-tinted eyes Rosekit ~ a pinkish-orange she-cat with green eyes; Dreamkit’s twin Galaxykit ~ a black she-cat with brown splotches and hazel eyes Luckykit ~ a cream-furred she-cat with clover-green eyes Solarkit ~ a blue-furred she-cat with hazel eyes Lovekit ~ a pinkish-white she-cat with pale yellow eyes Sevenkit ~ a cinder-gray she-cat with denim-blue eyes and a misshapen paw Timekit ~ a brown she-cat with green eyes and a white hourglass shaped spot on forehead Vanillakit ~ a soft-white she-cat with brown flecks and hazel eyes   ~Present~ “I, Blizzardstar, leader of ZeroClan,” began the noble leader, his gaze sweeping over the multitude of apprentices before him. “Call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have all trained so hard under the mentoring of their mother, Infinitenight, to understand the ways of your noble code. Thus, I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.” All fourteen of Infinitenight’s adoptive kits, and her own daughter Novapaw stared up at Blizzardstar. The white-furred leader returned each of their gazes. He gave a slight nod, a smile creeping onto his face. Colorpaw, the eldest kit, turned to look at Infinitenight. She was watching all of her kits, and though her expression was still cold and guarded as ever, pride shone in her eyes. Colorpaw lifted her chin, turning to face her leader once more. “Apprentices of ZeroClan,” Blizzardstar bellowed. “Do you promise to uphold your respective codes, and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your lives?” Every apprentice glanced at each other nervously -everyone except Silentpaw. The blind apprentice had always been so determined to become a warrior, or be something useful to her clan. She trained twice as hard as her siblings did, and no cat could doubt her worthiness. With this knowledge, Silentpaw stood on the tips of her paws, fluffed out her fur to appear as big as her sisters, and gave a bold smile. “I do, Blizzardstar,” she meowed, surprising the clan with her sudden vociferousness. Novapaw stared at Silentpaw. All of Silentpaw’s sisters were kind to her except Novapaw. The ginger tabby instead would always torment the frail cat, stealing her prey, ruffing her up, and doing other things that she could do with the advantage of her victim’s blindness. Her horrid behavior –inherited from Infinitenight’s semi-controlled sadism- was not supported by anycat, but she continuously bullied Silentpaw anyway. Ever since they were old enough to talk, Silentpaw would be tortured by the aggressive she-cat, and on a good day, she’d only be verbally abused. Today, however, Novapaw looked at her sister with warmth and pride; something she’d never see, nor be told about. One by one, the other apprentices vowed to their leader that they’d do as Blizzardstar asked. Blizzardstar flicked his tail happily, softening his gaze even more. “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names.” ~Eleven Moons Ago~ “Infinitenight, I would like you to take a patrol to Lilypad’s Pond. CaveClan was scented there, and I worry that they will try to take our herbs.” “Yes, Maplebreeze,” Infinitenight padded over to the warriors’ den, sticking her head inside. “Wake up you lumps,” she hissed. “I need someone for a patrol. No, Antleg, you go back to sleep and rest that paw of yours.” Scarletdrip rose to her paws and stretched, yawning and lashing her tail. “Mmm… Infi, I’ll join you.” She purred, beaming. The black she-cat looked away quickly, blushing immediately. “Ok, sure, whatever,” she muttered, turning away from her best friend and to Phoenixwing. “Phoe, you comin’ or naw?” The flame-ginger she-cat rolled over onto her feet and nodded. She straightened up her nest and pulled off her vine cast. She flexed her damaged paw and grinned, finally feeling good enough to walk, run, and be free again. “Moondust, you in?” Infinitenight glanced at the tom from the corner of her eyes, a tiny flame of hope igniting in them. The chalky-gold tom lifted his head from out his nest. “Okay, Infinitenight,” he nodded drowsily. “Give me a minute to stretch.” Infinitenight jutted out her bottom lip, scanning the den for another cat to take. “Dancingfeather, come with us.” She mewed. The lilac-furred she-cat moaned. “I don’t wanna, Inf,” she whined, scooting away. With a glare at Dancingfeather, she looked over at Blazepelt. “Blaze?” she said, her tone sounding slightly desperate. “Alright Infi,” the red-furred she-cat smiled, strolling casually out of her nest. With her patrol assembled, Infinitenight flicked her tail towards the giant fern bush next to the camp entrance. The five cats trotted over and dove through the bush, taking the hidden pathway to Lilypad’s Pond. Scarletdrip walked beside Infinitenight, their pelts brushing. The black she-cat bit her lip, scoffing mentally at the blush that was reappearing on her face. Phoenixwing was skipping along right behind them, her tail continuously smacking Moondust in the face. The tom groaned, rolling his eyes and moving away from the happy cat. Blazepelt tailgated Infinitenight, inhaling her scent of primrose that she loved so much. “Okay you furballs,” she purred, flicking Blazepelt’s nose with her tail. “Just start investigating to see if you scent CaveClan anywhere, stale or fresh.” The cats went off in different directions. Infinitenight strayed off to the right, sniffing around the sedges. She instantaneously picked up multiple super fresh cat scents. She hissed and cursed under her breath, marking her territory while strategizing how she’d address the rogue cats. She didn’t need help; she was Infinitenight. She followed the scent trail to the left. The scents seemed to explode into her nose, causing her to sink her claws into the muddy grass. The large bush in front of her rustled. She pricked her ears and stared at it ominously. She listened silently. “Shh, we could be heard,” came a voice barely more than a whisper. Infinitenight’s eyes narrowed to slits as she dropped into a hunter’s crouch. She stalked forward ‘til she was a full fox-length away from the bush. She resisted the urge to dive in instantly and ruin her chance. She instead thought of all the ways she could torture these cats. She could tear off their tails with ease. Destroying their eyes would be no sweat. She had broken many a spine in her time, too. Without realizing it, she began to purr softly at the thought of doing these cruel things. The bush rustled once more, startling Infinitenight out of her fantasy. She grinned sadistically and launched herself at the bush in the same instance that an unknowing voice asked, “Do you smell that?” Infinitenight shoved her head into the bush, seized a branch, and with one swift movement, uprooted the tree slightly, revealing the vile beings who dared to cross into her territory. “N-No, please,” pouted a petrified brown kit, her green eyes huge and glassy. “I-I’m sorry we’re on your territory! We don’t have anywhere to go. Our leader wanted to kill us, because we weren’t good apprentices. We aren’t even six moons yet! Please, ma’am…” The dark warrior towering over the group of bush kits glared down at them. She looked each kit over individually. To the surprise of the kits, her gaze softened when she looked at the smallest one. The pale gray she-cat was staring blankly at Infinitenight with her insipid blue eyes. She bristled just as the other kits did, but it was obvious to the ZeroClan warrior that she was blind. Infinitenight pondered over her new decision. The kits began to relax, as the warrior had not acted nearly as fast they assumed she would. In fact, she was beginning to look rather thoughtful… “You say you have nowhere to go,” the sharpness in Infinitenight’s voice snapped the kits out of their thoughts. "So I shall take you in.” One of the kits stepped forward, her eyes darkening. “What use would I be to you ZeroClanners?” she asked, holding up one of her forepaws for Infinitenight to see. The black warrior leaned closer and narrowed her eyes, examining her paw. She had seven toes on that sole paw. Infinitenight scoffed, looking as if the kit had just showed her the most stupid thing ever. She flicked her tail and led the kits to the camp, carrying the blind little one herself. ~In the Nursery~ Infinitenight dragged over her nest from the warrior den, enhancing it by weaving some of Callie’s twoleg’s sheepswool into it. She made a separate, giant nest for the kits to sleep in, since there were so many. She put each kit inside, giving them a lick on the forehead. A pure white head popped up from inside the nest, beautiful lavender eyes peering over at her. “Excuse me, ma’am,” mewed the pretty little kit. “But may I ask your name?” The cat in the nest beside them looked at her, warmth in her gaze. “My name is Infinitenight,” she purred. “I am Blizzardstar’s advisor. Basically, I’m like his deputy, except I don’t get to take his place as leader if he resigns or dies…” Her amber eyes flickered, and the white kit wondered if she was an overly ambitious cat. She worried about the safety of herself and her friends. She had heard the name Infinitenight before; warriors, apprentices, elders, and queens all told stories to each other about the ZeroClan warrior. The anecdotes of the gossipy cats from the various clans had ultimately led to Infinitenight becoming infamous, despite the fact that she isn’t nearly as bad as they think. “Infinitenight, you in there?” called a young voice. “I’m back from…” A pale ginger tabby kit stood in the doorway, staring intensely at the mass of kits piled into a nest. Her jaw slowly dropped, her pupil reducing to slits. Infinitenight’s eyes widened as she stood up, rushing over to Novakit, her only kit. “You… you mated with someone else?” Novakit stuttered, trembling. “No, sweetheart, I didn’t,” insisted Infinitenight. “I promise you, I did not. I-I’m still not past your father Lunarblood moving on. I still love him more than you’ll ever know… I cannot bring myself to take another mate quite yet…” She hesitated, glancing at both Scarletdrip and Moondust with visible longing in her eyes. Novakit narrowed her eyes, lashing her tail impatiently. Infinitenight sighed, sounding rather desperate. She turned her back to her kit. “I am taking in these stray kits,” she meowed firmly. “They have been exiled by their leader, which I will have to tell Blizzardstar about. No cat should turn their back on a kit, ever. I will take excellent care of them, they’ll grow up to be magnificent warriors. I will love them as if they were my own kits, because they clearly have not experienced much motherly love, if any at all. I am simply thinking of the wellbeing of others.” At one point in her life, Novakit would’ve been glad to hear her mother say this. She would’ve been accepting of her decision, and definitely would’ve been a good sister to these kits. However, ever since Lunarblood left Infinitenight, she had been completely bitter. She bit her tongue for the moment, though. She stalked over to the corner and sat down to observe her mother and her “new kits”. “I suppose I should ask your names, now,” she murmured, nosing a black she-kit. The kit sniffed disdainfully. “Our stupid leader doesn’t allow names until we become warriors…” she hissed spitefully. “He doesn’t think we’re worth having a name to call us by until we’re capable of shedding the blood of others. Had we been born ruthless, murderous kits, maybe he would’ve made us warriors on the spot. He doesn’t care about our safety; only the power he gains from having us as his warriors.” Sympathy glowed in Infinitenight’s eyes. “Then I’ll give you all names,” she meowed. “I believe that you could be… Shadekit.” The black kit’s yellow eyes sparkled. “I-I like that,” she purred. “Shadekit…” “You there,” Infinitenight pointed with her tail to the lavender-eyed white kit. “I think you look like a Polarkit.” Polarkit gazed at her, not saying anything, but the brightness in her eyes speaking volumes. “Your tortoiseshell pelt is so pretty,” Infinitenight nosed the green eyed kit. “I shall call you Colorkit, young one. As for you two…” Two identical rosy-orange kits pricked their ears simultaneously. Infinitenight thought long and hard before finally smiling, flicking her tail with joy. Her eyes glowed with warmth. “You will be Dreamkit,” she looked at one, then the other. “And you shall be Rosekit.” A golden-and-white kit leaped out and circled Infinitenight. “What about me?” she asked eagerly. “Mmm… I want you to be Aurorakit,” The brown kit climbed out the nest, too. “Ooh, I would like to be next!” Infinitenight suddenly noticed the hourglass-shaped white mark on the kit’s forehead. She chuckled, feeling clever. “For the mark on your little head,” she said. “You will be Timekit.” “YAY!” Unexpectedly, one side of the nest drooped, letting a cinder gray kit tumble out. She was the one with seven toes. The one Infinitenight had scoffed at and turned her back on. She rolled onto her paws and fluffed out her fur, letting out a small hiss. “I’m no use to you, remember?” she snarled. “I’m deformed. Nobody would ever want me as their kit. I’m ugly because of this darned paw! I’m completely-“ She was cut off abruptly, as Infinitenight had pulled her close, burying her face in her chest fur. The dark warrior closed her eyes and licked in between the kit’s ears. Said kit was half-heartedly trying to protest, knowing she really did enjoy Infinitenight’s loving embrace. A loud purr rumbled in the warrior’s throat. “You are not useless,” she whispered affectionately. “Three extra toes will not render you unserviceable. You are beautiful little kit. Besides, I promised I’d train you to be the best warriors this clan has ever seen, and I will make sure that everyone sees you as such. In fact, I will name you Sevenkit, so that your name will be a reminder of you difference. But no one will treat you like you’re different. You’ll be the same, and no one will judge you, or they’ll have to answer to me.” Sevenkit leaned back, gazing up at her new mother with giant, glassy eyes. “Th-Thank you, Infinitenight,” she said, her voice barely audible. Before the cat could reply, she was attacked by a black-and-brown kit. “Name me, please!’ she begged, clinging to her back and tugging on her scruff. “I had a name for you the moment I saw you,” she blinked, amused at the kit’s playfulness. “I think you should be Galaxykit.” She immediately bounced off of Infinitenight, seeming to float down gently like a feather. Infinitenight turned to the other white kit, noticing the brown flecks sprinkled in her fur. She admired her cleverness with naming some of these kits. “Vanillakit,” she purred. “Because I had something called vanilla “ice cream” when I was on a mission in Upwalker Territory. Mmm… it was really good. One secret I’ll tell you now is that sometimes… sometimes I sneak out of the camp at night and go to my friend Muffin’s Upwalker’s house… and I hang around ‘til her Upwalker serves us some ice cream. Muffin told me it was basically frozen, sweet milk. I was hesitant at first, but it was the tastiest thing I had ever tasted! Maybe one day soon, I’ll take you all to get some.” Vanillakit’s heart skipped. She felt so honored to be named after something so important to Infinitenight. She beamed up at her. Three others kits –one a Russian blue, one cream-furred, and one pinkish-white- watched the older cat intently. Infinitenight turned to them and grinned. “Your pink fur makes me see you as a Lovekit,” she said, then turning to the blue kit. “You remind me so much of my old friend Solarpelt. It is because of this that I name you Solarkit. As for you, dear… I will call you Luckykit.” The three kits squealed and giggled, hopping around and dancing. Infinitenight watched her kits joyously, but then frowned upon looking at the pale, fragile little gray kit she had carried to the nursery. She sniffed her eyes, but she didn’t notice. Infinitenight licked her forehead tentatively, careful not to frighten her. “You are blind, but you will not be of no use,” she murmured. “I believe you could be a warrior. The others always take any kind of injury, illness, or deformity to be a sign that someone is useless…” Sevenkit cringed, but Aurorakit pressed herself against her to calm her. “You are my kit now,” Infinitenight insisted firmly. “And no one will put down any kit of mine. Not Novakit, not Sevenkit, not Colorkit, nor Aurorakit. And definitely not you, Silentkit.” Silentkit lifted her head shakily, gazing up at her mother with her visionless eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly changed her mind. Instead, she nodded, purring and rubbing her muzzle against her arm. All her kits, including Novakit, crowded around her –Galaxykit launched herself up onto her head- and nuzzled her appreciatively. “Alright mom,” Novakit finally spoke. “Chill. You’re never this hype.” ---- “Colorpaw, from this moment you will be known as Colorsplash. StarClan honors your honesty and initiative.” “Novapaw, you will be known as Novastrike. StarClan honors your determination and fighting skill.” “Aurorakit, you will be known as Aurorasky. StarClan honors your kindness and patience.” “Shadepaw, you will be known as Shadeforce. StarClan honors your cleverness and initiative.” “Dreampaw, you will be known as Dreamclouds. StarClan honors your insight and wisdom.” “Polarpaw, you will be known as Polarswipe. StarClan honors your loyalty and patience.” “Rosepaw, you will be known as Rosethorn. StarClan honors your independence and courage.” “Galaxypaw, you will be known as Galaxyflight. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and speed.” “Luckypaw, you will be known as Luckywish. StarClan honors your spirit and thoughtfulness.” “Solarpaw, you will be known as Solarspark. StarClan honors your bravery and enterprise.” “Lovepaw, you will be known as Loveflower. StarClan honors your warmth and compassion.” “Sevenpaw, you will be known as Sevenclaws. StarClan honors your strength and skill in battle.” “Timepaw, you will be known as Timefreeze. StarClan honors your intelligence and generosity.” “Vanillapaw, you will be known as Vanilladust. StarClan honors your agility and confidence.” “Silentpaw… many a cat has doubted you since you came here. I know because I was among those cats. Your inability to see has made cats think that you wouldn’t be able to train to be a warrior. You, however, have proved us wrong, even if you chose not be a warrior. I apologize, and I honor your decision.” Blizzardstar backed up and allowed the clan’s medicine cat, Maplebreeze, to stand in his place. She faced the clan with pride gleaming in her eyes. The elderly medicine cat had wanted an apprentice for so long, but no cat seemed right for the job. She had considered Roughdiamond after misunderstanding a prophecy from StarClan, but very soon realized the fierce she-cat was meant to be a warrior indefinitely. She thought about Forgedreign, Gentlewhisper, and even Soulsearch, but none of the cats in her dreams had ever proven to be the cat StarClan prophesized. But, much to the medicine cat’s surprise, when Silentpaw came, everything made sense. She was the cat destined to follow in her pawsteps. She was to be the next, legendary medicine cat of ZeroClan. She gazed at her apprentice-to-be gleefully, kneading the ground in excitement. “Cats of ZeroClan,” she bellowed. “As you know, I will not be around forever. I am already up there in age. So it's time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown empathy towards her clanmates, and towards other. She undeniably loves her clanmates, and will go out of her way to help in any way she can. I could not think of a better cat for this job. And so, your next medicine cat will be Silentpaw.” Blizzardstar stepped forward to Maplebreeze’s side. “Silentpaw, do you accept the post of apprentice to Maplebreeze?” Silentpaw turned her head to the direction her mentor’s scent was coming from, and smiled. “I do,” she nodded. Maplebreeze exploded with pride. “Then at the half-moon, you must travel to the Lake of Stars and Spirits to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats.” She purred, touching her nose to her new apprentice’s. With a nod of approval, Blizzardstar thundered, “ZeroClan, rejoice!” Infinitenight immediately leaped to her paws, and was the first one to cheer. “Novastrike! Colorsplash! Shadeforce! Loveflower! Aurorasky! Dreamclouds! Galaxyflight! Polarswipe! Sevenclaws! Solarspark! Rosethorn! Luckywish! Vanilladust! Timefreeze! Silentpaw!” Her little kits had finally become warriors. She could not be more proud. The new warriors and medicine cat apprentice dipped their heads respectfully to their clan, which was applauding so loud they could be heard from Upwalker Territory. Novastrike even padded over to Silentpaw. The blind apprentice flinched, smelling her coming. The ginger tabby peered down at her with the daunting amber eyes she inherited from her mother. “What do you want now, Novastrike?” Silentpaw asked in a semi-strong voice. “Are you going to mock my choice of being a medicine cat apprentice? It doesn’t matter… the clan supports me. Maplebreeze supports me. Infinitenight supports me. So if you have something insulting to say… if you are going to continue beating me up like I’m a helpless kit, I won’t-“ “Congratulations, Silentpaw,” Novastrike interrupted, unfazed by her adoptive sister’s newfound courage. “The clan is lucky to have you.” With that she turned away from Silentpaw and padded off to go sit beside her former mentor, her own mother. Silentpaw’s jaws parted for a moment, but then she recovered. She smiled finally. She may not want to admit it, she thought. But she’s proud of me. Thank you, Novastrike. If only she could see, she would’ve witnessed the tears in the corners of Novastrike’s eyes, and the smile on her face. That night, the new warriors sat vigil in their camp. A few moons later, Maplebreeze took Silentpaw to the Lake of Stars and Spirits, believing that it was truly time. She sat down next to her apprentice. The other clans’ medicine cats –Jinxheart and Seapaw of AceClan, Sticktail and Branchfall of MoonClan, Blossomstep of NightClan, Snowflake and Cookie of EternalClan, Xyst of FoxClan, and Echofade of LunaClan- arrived shortly after, and they sat down silently. Maplebreeze gazed into the pool, the stars reflected in it shining. “I, Maplebreeze, medicine cat of ZeroClan,” she began right away. “Call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help she will serve her Clan for many moons.” She turned to face her apprentice. “Silentpaw,” she meowed. “Do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?” “I do,” Silentpaw mewed, more sure than she had ever been before. “Then by the powers of StarClan,” purred Maplebreeze. “I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Silentpaw, from this moment you will be known as Silentpath. StarClan honors your skill and your love for others, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of ZeroClan.” Silentpath smiled, so happy she finally had her name. Seapaw, shy as ever, avoided her eye, but murmured a congratulatory sentence to her. Jinxheart winked playfully at her. “Ayyyyye, turn up tho,” she mewed. “Silentpath, congrats,” Snowflake dipped her head respectfully to her. “You deserve this.” Cookie bounced up and down. “Silentpath is such a beautiful name,” she squealed. “I’m glad you’ve got it!” Xyst, expressionless like always, monotonously said, “Congratulations, Silentpath.” Blossomstep gave her a friendly nudge. “This is a big honor, Silentpath,” she purred. “You’re now a full medicine cat.” Sticktail nodded. “Yes, Silentpath, congrats,” he rasped. “May you serve your clan for many, many moons.” “I-I think you’ll be an amazing medicine cat,” murmured Branchfall, blushing and looking away. Silentpath took in Branchfall’s words and let them fill her heart with joy. “Thank you, Branchfall,” she smiled. “Thanks everyone. I appreciate your friendship. May it last for a long time.” Maplebreeze led Silentpath back to the camp, where she was greeted by her mother, her siblings, Scarletdrip, Moondust, Blizzardstar, and Phoenixwing. Her sisters swarmed her and covered her with licks –except Novastrike, who instead ruffled her fur and snickered. Scarletdrip, who had Infinitenight by her side as usual, smiled at her warmly. Infinitenight, however, was more happy than all of them. All of her kits had their full names. All her kits were grown up, and she was so proud of each of them. Scarletdrip saw the look on her face and purred, pressing her muzzle to her cheek. Infinitenight blushed and blinked the emotion out of her eyes. She watched on as her kits, now warriors and a medicine cat, walked to the camp entrance and vanished, going on an adventure. My little kits, Infinitenight smiled.